Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Latest Episodes:

Cristin Milioti Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

Cristin Milioti (The Penguin, How I Met Your Mother, The Wolf of Wall Street) is a Grammy Award-winning actor. Cristin joins the Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in the place of origin of the Jersey Devil, the great equalizer being her acceptance into the safe space of drama kids, and being on the greatest show of all time The Sopranos. Cristin and Dax talk about how theater at its best feels like a communal place of worship, the magical experience of being nominated for a Tony for Once, and how profound but intimate it was to play opposite Leo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. Cristin explains being a true disciple of Batman before getting her role as Sofia Falcone, reflecting on a few deeply humbling moments of her career, and the immense gratitude that her trajectory has been long and steady as she approaches 40.

Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/armchair-expert-with-dax-shepard/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Armchair Anonymous: Cruise Ship May 30, 2025

Show notes

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a cruise ship disaster.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Scott Payne (retired undercover FBI Agent) May 28, 2025

Show notes

Scott Payne (Code Name Pale Horse, White Hot Hate) is a retired FBI Special Agent and author. Scott joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his first taste of undercover work in high school in South Carolina, how he caught the bug training as a fresh-face narcotics officer, and his long shot cold application to the FBI. Scott and Dax talk about his first undercover assignment in the Outlaws biker gang, the ins and outs of performing believable criminal activity, and navigating guilt around putting targets away whose trust he’d earned. Scott explains that the ultimate goal of undercover is accountability by building relationships you’re going to betray, infiltrating an insidious and violent accelerationist white supremacist cell, and a terribly fraught encounter with a goat.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Kroll Returns May 26, 2025

Show notes

Nick Kroll (Big Mouth, Adults, I Don't Understand You) is a comedian, showrunner, and producer. Nick joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he turned down the opportunity to kiss Dax’s wife, calling dibs on a celebrity brand sponsorship with Kleenex, and longing to be an undeniable casting choice. Nick and Dax talk about how he feels that Big Mouth is now the longest running series on Netflix, how his wife is such a supportive guide for what brings him joy professionally, and what it was like producing a cross-country intervention for his best friend. Nick explains his motivation to speak honestly about his family in his standup, how Adults celebrates the great tradition of real comedy folks making a show together in NYC, and Coach Steve gets to meet Hermium Permium while Frito gets to meet Hormone Monster.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Armchair Anonymous: Kind Gesture from a Stranger May 23, 2025

Show notes

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a kind gesture they received from a stranger.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric Topol Returns (on longevity) May 21, 2025

Show notes

Eric Topol (Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity) is a cardiologist, researcher, and author. Eric returns to the Armchair Expert to discuss being Monica’s epilepsy consultant after their early interview, recent findings suggesting that AI aids doctors in providing better care, and an intense gag order suppressing getting a detrimental drug taken off the market. Eric and Dax talk about hospital beds that can monitor people as they sleep, no one having yet done a healthy aging study of genomics, and the true anecdote that inspired him to write his new book. Eric explains creating a segue to effectively prevent diseases we never could before, how Viagra was initially a failed blood pressure medication, and why despite troubling trends in diseases he remains optimistic about the future of aging.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michelle Williams May 19, 2025

Show notes

Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex, Manchester by the Sea, Brokeback Mountain) is a Golden Globe-winning and Oscar and Tony-nominated actress. Michelle joins the Armchair Expert to discuss what constitutes an apex dinosaur skeleton, thinking she may have had one of the the last great American childhoods, and missing getting into good trouble and trying to recreate those opportunities for her kids. Michelle and Dax talk about why nature is the greatest impartial teacher of danger and safety, not realizing that she’s the type of person that makes people nervous, and becoming emancipated at 15 before booking Dawson’s Creek. Michelle explains whether she sensed what Brokeback Mountain would become while she was making it, seeing her work as a record of herself to leave for her kids, and being overwhelmed by emotion listening to the source material for Dying for Sex.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Armchair Anonymous: Public Transit May 16, 2025

Show notes

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about a crazy public transit story.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Nowinski (on CTE) May 14, 2025

Show notes

Chris Nowinski (Stop Hitting Kids in the Head, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis, Concussion Legacy Foundation) is an author, retired pro-wrestler, and neuroscientist. Chris joins the Armchair Expert to discuss never forgetting the culture shock of wealth while studying at Harvard, his stint wrestling on Monday Night Raw, and not having ever really been in a real fight. Chris and Dax talk about why the violence in football is actually worse than WWE, his first instance of REM behavior disorder, and learning the preciousness of brain cells. Chris explains the supposed causes and physiology of CTE, why we have selective framing for how to think about the mental health of athletes transitioning out of sports, and how wrestlers now really appreciate how much safer the industry is.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mo Amer May 12, 2025

Show notes

Mo Amer (Mo, The Vagabond, Black Adam) is an award-winning comedian and actor. Mo joins the Armchair Expert to discuss feeling anxiety only when there’s something unsettled at home, embracing the responsibility of being a comic that’s also made a personally and culturally meaningful thing, and the best part of his new show being that he gets to introduce different layers to his story. Mo and Dax talk about his brilliant telecommunications engineer father relocating their family from Palestine to Kuwait, living through the Iraqi invasion that catalyzed the Gulf War, and creating a supportive Sandlot brotherhood that still exists to this day. Mo explains how his teacher encouraging him to do Shakespearean standup rocketed his entry into comedy, performing some of the greatest sets of his life returning to Iraqi war zones, and the emotional rediscovery of long-lost home movies of his family and childhood.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected